Good practice: vacation care at sipgate

The Düsseldorf-based company sipgate is the first German VoIP provider and supports its customers with landline and mobile products for at home, on the move and in the office. A family-friendly personnel policy is firmly anchored in the company, which was founded in 2004. With the "Mini-Club" childcare offer, the employer supports its employed parents during the vacation period.

During the vacations, the children of sipgate employees have the same commute to work as their parents. The only difference is that they don't sit at their desks on site, but are looked after in the Mini Club. From the age of three, children can attend daily childcare from 8 am to 5 pm. The vacation program is colorful and designed according to a weekly changing motto by the employed caregivers.

The idea for the "Mini Club" was born out of necessity: What to do with the children when the kids are on vacation but you as a parent have to go to work yourself? Three colleagues at sipgate asked themselves this question and started a first small experiment during the Easter vacations. They assessed whether the existing infrastructure was suitable for childcare and how the presence of their children would affect their normal working day. The result was consistently positive, so that a larger investment was made in the Mini Club.

During the development and introduction of the Mini Club, not only employees with children were involved in decisions, but also the entire team. Colleagues without children should also have the opportunity to give feedback and be heard. This step was particularly important for the corporate climate, as it shows that the opinions of all employees are valued.

Sipgate sees the Mini Club as more than just a practical way to relieve fathers and mothers during vacation time, but also as a lever for attracting new employees. This is because work-life balance measures increase employer attractiveness for potential applicants.